SERVICES
A Homechek residential property inspection includes the grounds, exterior, structure, roof/attic, plumbing, heating & air conditioning, electrical, interior, laundry, kitchen, bathrooms and garage. A residential property inspection usually takes two to three hours or longer, depending on the home's age and square footage. Homechek provides a computerized report with digital photos.
A Wood Destroying Insect inspection can be performed during your home inspection or as a stand-alone service. A Wood Destroying Inspection inspection is a non-invasive, visual inspection meaning that wall/floor/ceiling coverings, insulation, furniture, stored items, shelving, etc. are not moved or disturbed. As part of a Wood Destroying Insect inspection, the inspector is looking for signs of past or current Wood Destroying Insect infestation, such as shelter tubes, bore/exit holes, frass, as well as any visibly accessible damage left behind by a Wood Destroying Insect (WDI) infestation.
Radon is an odorless, colorless and radioactive gas produced by natural uranium decay in the ground. It is number 86 on the Periodic Table of Elements. According to various governmental and/or health-related agencies, such as the the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US Surgeon General, the American Cancer Society, and the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (PA DEP), radon is the 2nd leading cause of lung cancer in the United States after smoking. It is estimated that over 22,000 deaths in the US annually can be contributed to radon exposure. According to actual test data collected by the PA DEP, south central PA is well known for radon concentrations that exceed the EPA Recommended Action Level of 4.0 pCi/L. The only way to know your home's concentration is to perform a test. Homechek is state certified radon tester and utilizes Sun Nuclear’s continuous radon monitor to perform the radon test.
Homechek’s onlot wastewater treatment system (septic) inspection includes inspection of treatment tanks and their baffles, any dosing or pumping tanks and their components, and evaluation of the seepage bed, by manual probing, to determine its ability to efficiently cycle affluent back into the environment. Our inspection is to determine if the system is satisfactory or if a septic service provider needs to perform additional investigation or repairs/replacement.
Water quality testing is a home buyer's or home owner's first line of defense to ensure that their home's drinking water is safe to drink ("potable"). Homechek offers water quality testing services. Homechek uses only Pennsylvania-accredited laboratories for our certified drinking water analysis.
When deciding which water test you would like performed, keep in mind that only those contaminants that are tested for can be found in the water sample. Some lenders or loan types (such as FHA, USDA, and VA) may require that a specific water quality series be performed as part of the home's purchase or a mortgage refinance. Unless your lender has a specific requirement, any of the below water sample series can be performed at the time of your property inspection or as a stand-alone service.
Learn more about water testing by visiting our resources page.
Mold inspections are primarily visual in nature. While valuable and informative, they are not in depth and no destructive or detailed testing is involved. A thorough mold inspection should include inspecting the attic, removal of any access panels, etc.
Mold testing on the other hand is more involved and may include one or more testing methods. The most common testing methods are Swab sampling, tape lifting and air sampling.
Tape lifting and swab sampling are primarily used to verify a suspicious substance is mold, or to identify the species of mold. They are the least expensive methods of sampling or testing. The information provided is somewhat limited compared to air sampling. The information is mainly useful for symptom diagnosis and confirmation of suspicious areas. In real estate transactions, sampling is often helpful in proving to a seller that the stain in question is in fact mold.
Air Sampling is the preferred type of testing. This method provides the most information and is my preferred testing method. This method will often reveal hidden mold problems, but this of course cannot be guaranteed. Air testing involves using a calibrated air pump to move a known quantity of air through a special impact collection plate.
Microscopic analysis of the air sampling collection plate will not only give you the species of mold present, but can give you an accurate quantity of mold in the air. No other testing method measures how much mold is in your home or building. This is by far the most useful test available. This type of mold testing generally requires at least 3 samples. Two inside and one outside. 3 samples are necessary for comparative analysis. In other words, if the mold count inside of the home is about the same as the count outside, you probably don’t have a mold in air issue inside of your house.